Charges: Mother fell asleep while heating frying oil, left 2 kids in burning Vadnais Heights home

A Vadnais Heights woman is facing felony child endangerment charges after she allegedly passed out while cooking — starting a grease fire — and escaped the home while leaving two young children inside.

Charging documents show Kyla Mona Denise Vinson, 28, is charged with three counts of child endangerment in connection with the Nov. 2, 2024, fire.

RELATED: Firefighters rescue trapped children in Vadnais Heights fire, 1 adult, 3 kids hospitalized

According to a criminal complaint, firefighters responding to the townhome fire encountered thick, black smoke coming from an active stove fire. Two children, a 3-year-old and a 14-month-old, were inside and covered in soot. The toddler struggled to breathe, and firefighters had to suction “a large amount of soot from her airway.”

Vinson was outside the home with her 8-year-old daughter, who had allegedly woken Vinson up to alert her to the fire.

A deputy overheard Vinson explaining that she had fallen asleep while heating up cooking grease and the next thing she knew her daughter was waking her up. Vinson had allegedly said something about drinking a canned cocktail prior to passing out, the complaint states.

Vinson and her three children were all taken to the hospital for treatment. The two youngest children who were rescued from inside were in critical condition and had to be intubated.

Vinson’s sister told investigators she had dropped her 10-year-old son off to play with Vinson’s children around midday. About an hour later, the child called “afraid and asking to be picked up.” The sister said when she returned to the townhome, Vinson appeared to be intoxicated on drugs or alcohol.

The sister added that Vinson had a history of drug and alcohol abuse and that family members had “seen that this was coming.”

In an interview with investigators, Vinson admitted to taking a shot of tequila and drinking a canned cocktail while she was beginning to cook. She recalled putting her 14-month old child to bed and then getting into her own bed.

When her 8-year-old daughter awoke her, Vinson said fire blocked her escape through the front door, so she chose to jump from the second-floor window with her oldest child and ask for help to rescue her two youngest children.

According to the complaint, investigators found an unsecured gun and two loaded magazines in the home, along with a small bottle of tequila and a can of vodka. Blood taken from Vinson four hours after the fire revealed a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.106.

Prosecutors note that Vinson has multiple prior charges of driving while intoxicated, including one case in which she had drunkenly crashed into a ditch while with a 2-year-old child who was not in a car seat.

Vinson was charged via summons and is not currently in custody. Her first court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 22.

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